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UCL MD-2 Pre-Deadline & Live Chat

Last season’s finalists Manchester City and Chelsea are both flying to face their opponents away from home. PSG hosts the Citizens while Juventus takes on title holding Chelsea.

Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola - Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

MD-2 Build-Up

Pep Guardiola is set to face his favorite player Lionel Messi as the latter has been cleared to play when PSG hosts Man City in a repeat of last season’s semifinal. It is still unclear if Mauricio Pochettino will start the Argentinian star. In Neymar, Mbappe and Messi PSG arguably has the strongest forward line in all club history (imagine Gabriel Batistuta, Brazilian Ronaldo and Raul Blanco all playing in the same club). The Parisians have their sights fixed on all three points in order to enter clashes against RB Leipzig with much less pressure. Man City could set one foot in the round of 16 with a win considering they play Club Brugge in the next two rounds with six points in the bag.

Fantasy favorite Haaland as well as teammate Reus are doubts to start for Dortmund since both missed the domestic league match and training afterwards. Key defenders Thomas Meunier, Raphael Guerriero, Mats Hummels and Manuel Akanji were absent during the preparation training on Monday as well, but the only clarification that can be found (which is not official) is that this is Rose’s decision to allow them rest time. Only Tuesday pre-match training will tell if they are available or not for the match against Sporting CP.

Thomas Tuchel looks to brush off the weekend’s EPL loss to Man City when Chelsea visits wounded Juventus. The Italian club is just sending strange vibes by conceding more goals than usual do in a whole season. The 1-0 score line era is over for the Old Lady, and it will be up to Chelsea’s finishing to get the job done in Turin.

Moving on to the less attractive but more competitive groups, Diego Simeone returns to Milan to play against his old rival AC Milan. The Italians are historically the UCL’s second best club with seven trophies filling their display at the San Siro, and that history came into play in MD-1 against Liverpool, but it was not enough.

Last but not least, Man United will host Villarreal for a chance at redemption. Villareal defeated United a few month ago in the UEFA Europa League final. The Spaniards will be without injured Gerard Moreno who scored one of the winning goals. Solskjaer’s men are going through a poor run of form, with Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty and De Gea missing a ball with bent arm thinking about colliding with the goal post against Aston Villa.


Team News (Injury / Suspension)

Considering the congested schedule in all domestic leagues since MD-1, many players are at risk of rotation if playing against weaker opponents. Expect Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to give chances to young or bench players to get rare starts. It is still early in the UCL so only minor rotations are expected.

MD-2 Injury / Returns / Suspension List

Club Player Injury Expected Return Status
Club Player Injury Expected Return Status
PSG Layvin Kurzawa Calf September Doubtful
Marco Verratti Discomfort September Doubtful
Leo Messi Returned
Juan Bernat Ligament September Doubtful
Angel Di Maria Suspended until MD-3
Man City Benjamin Mendy Suspended by club
Ilkay Gundogan Knock October Out
Zinchenko Calf October Out
Aymeric Laporte Returned
Rodri Returned
John Stones Returned
RB Leipzig Lukas Klostermann Returned
Dani Olmo Thigh Unknown Out
Angelino Suspended
Adams Muscle September Doubtful
Liverpool Williams Ankle October Out
Thiago Alcantara Calf October Out
Naby Keita Ankle October Out
Harvey Elliott Ankle January Out
Roberto Firmino Returned
AC Milan Krunic Calf October Out
Tiemoue Bakayoko Ankle October Out
Alessandro Florenzi Knee September Doubtful
Simon Kjaer Hamstring September Doubtful
Porto Mangulu Mbemba Suspended
Atletico Stefan Savic Suspended until MD-4
Thomas Lemar Muscle September Doubtful
Dortmund Throgan Hazard Returned
Emre Can Muscle October Out
Giovanni Reyna Hamstring September Doubtful
Mateu Morey Ligament December Out
Haaland Thigh September Doubtful
Marc Reus Knee September Doubtful
Ajax Klaassen Returned
Stekelenburg Groin October Out
Andrea Onana Suspended until MD-4
Inter Milan Cristian Eriksen Head Unknown Out
Arturo Vidal Thigh October Out
Stefano Sensi Knee October Out
Real Madrid Toni Kroos Muscle September Doubtful
Gateth Bale Hamstring October Out
Daniel Carvajal Calf October Out
Ferland Mendy Discomfort October Out
Barcelona Sergio Aguero Calf October Out
Jordi Alba Discomfort October Out
Martin Braithwaite Knee November Out
Masour Dembele Hamstring October Out
Pedri Thigh September Doubtful
Ansu Fati Returned
Bayern Munich Tolisso Calf October Out
Kingsley Coman Heart October Doubtful
Man Utd Luke Shaw Hamstring September Doubtful
Marcus Rashford Shoulder October Out
Harry Maguire Calf September Doubtful
Wan Bissaka Suspended until MD-3
Amad Diallo Thigh October Out
Villarreal Gerard Moreno Muscle October Out
Atalanta Luis Muriel Muscle September Out
Palomino Calf September Doubtful
Hans Hatebour Muscle October Out
Juventus Alvaro Morata Thigh October Out
Arthur Returned
Paulo Dybala Thigh October Out
Adrien Rabiot Ankle September Doubtful
Chelsea Timo Werner Returned
Edouard Mendy Returned
Reece James Ankle October Out
Mason Mount Unknown Unknown Doubtful
Christian Pulisic Ankle October Doubtful
Zenit Dejan Lovren Leg October Doubtful
Serdar Azmoun Returned
Sevilla Youssef Nesyri Suspended
Wolfsburg Anthony Brooks Suspended

Note: If a team is not listed then it does not have any notable injuries or suspensions.

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Keep an eye on the comments section for any late updates and be aware that lineups for the Shakhtar Donetsk vs Inter Milan and Ajax vs Besiktas lineups will be released before today’s fantasy transfer deadline at 17:30 BST. Make sure you’re here for that!

Good luck everyone!

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How’s your team shaping up? Have you been hit by any of the missing players? Do you have any tactical questions? And which matches do you plan / wish to watch as a fan? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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